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She studied his face and winced “I’hed aveto press charges?”
He snorted a laugh “Press charges? No, Zoey, I’ your roommates jobs” She’d found out the unfindable, or so he’d believed He could only iine Archer’s irritation when he discovered the syste but
Those thoughts vanished with her satisfied smile A much better look on her than pain and tears She looked like she was breathing easier now For years, he’d tried his best to do right by others, to bring them happiness so people felt satisfied with their lives So that no one felt like Katherine did That when someone died, they knew they’d lived their life to the fullest But there was soer on So that had hi more “I have a proposition for you”
Her eyebrows rose atop twinkling eyes “What sort of proposition?”
“Spend more time with me”
“Why?” She gasped
He couldn’t fight the slight chuckle that escaped hiht has created revolving pain that you never deserved But I’m here to tell you there is more to life than pain Let me show you” Before she could think on it too ainst hiainst his felt oddly…right Even with the dark night around the of her lips, begging for a kiss “Here is my proposition: spend your final days in New York City with me Let me show you how you should have been treated How intimacy should be”
“Why would you want to do that for me?”
He hesitated then told her the truth “Because the look on your face when you removed your mask haunts me That pain is burned into my mind Don’t leave New York City with that pain Let’s erase it Together”
She took a step back “I’m fine”
He stepped forward “Are you?”
“Yes—” She hesitated, and so into uncertainty “Okay, maybe I’m not totally fine, but—”
“You’re surviving, right?”
Her eyes searched his “I guess you could say that”
He got that He’d been there once too Surviving watching Katherine die, and hating every second of not being able to save her “When did ‘just surviving’ end up being good enough?” Oddly protective of her and determined to help her heart weather this storave that to ly, and I appreciate the hell out of it, believe ive me…more Can you offer me that, too?”